As the following BIP case studies involve people that we actually know, I have changed their names to protect their braaing prowess.
The first people we visited were in a small place called Grahamstown and even then we got lost. We had pre-arranged that I would bring braai meat and Davilly would prepare the fire. As we were staying the night, I arrived with a fillet steak, salad and boerewors. Davilly proudly showed me his wood stockpile, which was threatening to break his outside toilet, but privately admitted his concern that his thorn wood may be a non-replaceable indigenous wood. Davilly noted that he had not braaied for months. Davilly then confidently lit the fire, whilst our children and wives happily played with each other. The fire looked especially good as Davilly casually added a number of paraffin soaked chipboard squares, but it then almost whimpered out. After a further number of paraffin soaked wood squares were added, the fire slowly resumed. Davilly noted that the thorn wood was quite wet but assured me that this wood made great coals, which was why it was taking so long to burn.
After we had fed the children and celebrated my daughter's 5th birthday, Davilly and I returned to the braai and added some more paraffin soaked wood. At about 21h00, the fillet steak, impregnated with crushed rosemary, salt and garlic was placed over the coals.The boerewors was also added, which very nearly put the fire out again. By 22h00, the braai was done and the food taken inside. The boerewors was just cooked, although it was not browned and breaking it into pieces did require several twists. The piece de resistance was however the fillet steak, which looked identical to the state it was in before the marinade. I can assure you that this steak was not tough and the feeling of raw meat smoothly sliding down one's gullet was an experience to remember. We roundly congratulated one another for the fine supper and went back to check the fire which had now died.
The next braai was held in the Hogsback mountains. This was a no nonsense braai done with briquettes and firelighters on a verandah of a rented cottage slightly out of the way of incessant rain. It was decided that we should cook chicken wings and pork rashers. I offered to braai as I felt that our friends Ruter and Pesell could do with a well cooked meal. Having browned the chicken wings on sticks and infusing a small flambe for the pork rashers, I asked Ruter to bring me a plate. He looked at me aghast and stated that neither he nor Pesell could eat chicken wings, unless they were frazzled. Seeing as I was in a strange province, I happily obliged and promptly placed the cooked braai food back on the braai. I asked Ruter to indicate when the chicken and pork were braaied to his liking. Half an hour passed by before the shrivelled meat was allowed to be removed from the braai. I was congratulated for cooking the meat to a turn while we all removed black carbon from our teeth.
I subsequently went on to cook a number of braais at Addo Elephant Park, but did not get my daughter's usual back up and support that I have grown to expect as a co-founder of BIP. My daughter made the stunning realisation this holiday that meat comes from animals that die in order for us to eat them. She promptly announced her decision to become a vegetarian chicken eater.
I would sincerely appreciate your advice on BIP policy for potential provincial members. Do you feel that we should have a practical test, such as a braai, before we allow friends, enemies and fence sitters to call themselves BIP associates? What do we do if we have invited someone to join BIP only to find that they cannot braai? How do we safeguard BIP's reputation, other then following BIP USA's advice to start a photo catalogue of memorable BIP moments?
I am beginning to feel the strain of coordinating a global movement for the upliftment of humanity.
Shayfish
Quasi-South Region
BIP
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